© 2023 Phillip Marriott
© 2023 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
| Spiritual Practices – an Invitation to Intimacy with God | The Arena – Winter 2023 — Index | On the Revelatory Status |
By Phillip Marriott, SA
Being a student of The Urantia Book has inspired me to think of ways I can be of service to the revelation. I have found a few things that suit my skill levels, so I’d like to share with you some of my Urantia related activities in this neck of the woods namely, regular book promotions, weekly online Study Group, and my responsibilities and duties in Urantia Association International.
¶ 1. Regular Book Promotion
I organise a regular Urantia Book promotion booth at markets; the one I usually attend is The Queen of Wands Psychic Fair.
This fair is held once a month and moves to a different location each time, so there is always a variety of people who come to visit. I particularly like these types of events because people are a little more open to discussing things of an esoteric nature. They don’t run away like scared rabbits if I mention the word God, Angels, Spirits or Universal, etc.
In the past I used to do these promotions produce markets. Most of the time I met with a poor response and hardly ever sold any books. Interest was very limited, and I often wondered whether it was my approach. Finally, however, I concluded that I was fishing in the wrong barrel.
So now at The Queen of Wands Psychic Fairs, I sell at least one book each time, hand out brochures, and people will usually take a ‘spiritual vitamin’ which I promote as a “Thought of the Day”. (They are little pieces of rolled up paper with a quote from the book written inside.) Plus, I field the usual questions about The Urantia Book. Occasionally someone will come to me to say that they have or have had the book. I like to think that my stall may act as a prompt for them to re-read the book.
These fairs have been held at several locations here in South Australia: Robe, Burra, McLaren Vale, Moana, Blackwood, and Klemzig. Some are in the country, but most are in the suburbs. They are held regardless of the weather.
So, I will continue to do these as they are easily done with one person. Two would make it easier, but alas, there are no volunteers to help.
¶ 2. Weekly Online Study Group
Every week on a Wednesday night I host a Study Group via Zoom. On average we have five attendees from all over Australia: Newcastle and Batemans Bay in NSW, Canberra, Victoria, Queensland, and me here in Mount Barker, South Australia. I have just been contacted by someone who bought the book at the Burra fair; he is interested in joining the Study Group.
We have set a goal to read the book sequentially as some people have not yet done this. However, if the mood takes us, we may break off to do a topical study, but then we will resume where we left off.
The Study Group has been going for at least 3 years now.
¶ 3. Urantia Association International Responsibilities and Duties
I have several responsibilities and participate on some special projects for Urantia Association.
i) I am a member of the International Service Board (ISB) and serve as the Study Group Committee Chair. This committee meets twice a month, with currently four regular attendees. We have several projects on hand; shortly you should see a Study Group Survey request and a revised Study Group Guide**.** A current project is a Study Aide for Study Groups, and future projects will include a Study Group Symposiumand any thing else that comes our way.
ii) I am also serving on an ad hoc committee for the development of a Long-Range Plan for the Association. This is coming along nicely, and we should shortly have a resolution to put before the International Representative Council (IRC) and ISB.
iii) Recently I was working with Urantia Association’s Bylaws Revision committee. This revision has now been completed and have been submitted to the IRC and ISB for their approval and ratification.
So other than my own personal studies, I continue to run my business and socialise with friends and family up here in the bracing Adelaide Hills.
¶ References
| Spiritual Practices – an Invitation to Intimacy with God | The Arena – Winter 2023 — Index | On the Revelatory Status |